News Room

Ebola Response Update 09‐12‐2014

9/12/2014

From: Michigan Health Alert Network <28132813_1628002700@notify.michiganhan.org>
Date: Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 1:25 PM
Subject: Ebola Response Update 09‐12‐2014

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with other U.S. government agencies,
the World Health Organization, and other domestic and international partners in an international
response to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations
Center to respond to Ebola. Included in this message are new guidance documents that we hope will be
useful to you and your organization. Please share with your colleagues and networks.

New and Updated Resources and Information:
1. Hospital Checklist for Ebola Preparedness (Attached)
Developed by DHHS, CDC, and ASPR, the goal of the checklist is to increase understanding of Ebola virus
disease (EVD) and encourage U.S. hospitals to prepare for managing patients with EVD and other
infectious diseases. Every hospital should ensure that it can detect a patient with Ebola, protect
healthcare workers so they can safely care for the patient, and respond in a coordinated
fashion. Healthcare providers should communicate with state and/or local health department on
procedures for notification and consultation for EVD testing requests.

2. Letter from CDC Director Thomas Frieden (Attached)
Provides an update on the CDC response following a visit to West Africa.

3. Ebola Cases and Deaths (West Africa) ‐ Updated: August 31, 2014:
‐ Suspected and Confirmed Case Count: 3707
‐ Suspected Case Deaths: 1848
‐ Laboratory Confirmed Cases: 2106

4. Updated Key Points (Attached):
A full key messages document is attached with new information highlighted in red.

-The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest in history and the first Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The
current outbreak is affecting multiple countries in West Africa but does not pose a significant risk to the
United States.
-Samples from U.S. persons under investigation (all of whom recently traveled to West Africa) are
being tested as they are received. As of September 9, all persons under investigation in the United
States have tested negative for Ebola.
-In September 2014, a U.S. health worker serving on a medical mission in Liberia tested positive for
Ebola and was transported to a hospital in Nebraska for medical care.
-In September 2014, a U.S. health worker with the World Health Organization in Sierra Leone tested
positive for Ebola and was transported to a hospital in Georgia for medical care. An imported case of Ebola has been confirmed in Senegal. No deaths or further suspected cases have been reported. The case is in a man from Guinea who traveled by road to Senegal. CDC does not have special recommendations for travelers to Senegal. If further spread is confirmed in Senegal, CDC will
post a travel notice similar to the one currently posted for Nigeria.
-The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported cases of Ebola in a remote area of the
country. However, WHO received test results showing the Ebola virus strain causing the outbreak in the
DRC is different from the strain in the current outbreak in West Africa. These results confirm that the
two outbreaks are unrelated.

Information on the outbreak in DRC can be found
at http://wwwdev.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/drc/2014‐august.html

Some experimental treatments developed for Ebola have been tested and proven effective in animals
but have not yet been tested in randomized trials in humans.

Additional information and new/update guidance can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/